REDVERS - Laurie West-Burnham really enjoys driving a bus. So much so that she has been transporting students to and from Redvers School for 10 years.
And she has a second job driving another vehicle. When she’s not behind the wheel of the big yellow bus, she drives the town’s senior transit, taking the locals shopping and to various appointments. It’s a day of contrasts for her, as she drives younger people early and later in the day and older people in between.
Over the past few months during the winter season, the seniors’ transit has not been that busy as the regulars prefer to stay indoors. That resulted in West-Burnham putting on her thinking cap as to how that particular bus could be utilized more.
West-Burnham began to put the wheels in motion for a restaurant hop. She used the transit bus to pick the diners up, starting at 11:30 a.m., and had them back home a couple of hours later. She selected five restaurants to host the seniors throughout April. The first stop was The Back 9 on April 1, where they enjoyed a garlic chicken meal. Next up was the Homestead Kitchen on April 8 to fill up with lasagna. Then on April 15, the destination will be Rising Phoenix to gobble up a hot hamburger steak dinner. The Optimist will provide a 20 per cent discount on all menu items on April 24 and Filcan Neighbourhood Grill will be the final hop stop on April 30, when the hoppers will take in a buffet.
West-Burnham's idea has resulted in the transit bus being used more; it has given the local eating establishments some additional business; it has provided an opportunity for the seniors to escape their cabin fever and it has enabled West-Burnham to do more of what she loves – driving a bus.
